Mets release minor leaguer Khalil Lee for ‘baseball-related’ reasons amid assault investigation: reports

The New York Mets have reportedly released minor league outfielder Khalil Lee, who is currently under investigation for allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend in May 2022. 

The New York Post reports that Lee, 24, was released on Sunday.

But the release isn’t due to the investigation by the league, as the Mets claim it is a “baseball-related” move. 

The Mets designated Lee for assignment and removed him from the 40-man roster in February. He cleared waivers and was moved to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, and he has been struggling since then.

Through 21 games, Lee is hitting .185/.299/.323 with a .622 OPS, one home run, six doubles and seven RBI over 65 at-bats. 

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The incident involving Lee’s former girlfriend, Keriwyn Hill, occurred while he was playing with Syracuse last season. He is accused of choking and kicking her to the ground in the lawsuit. 

Lee was charged with criminal obstruction of breath, per Syracuse.com. 

“The Mets immediately notified MLB upon becoming aware of the allegations,” the team said in a statement at the time. “We will fully comply with MLB’s policy and cannot comment until the completion of the league’s investigative process.”

Lee has 13 games of major league experience, all of which came with the Mets. He played 11 games with them in 2021 and only two games in 2022. 

In those contests, Lee went just 2-for-20 with a homer, double and 13 strikeouts. 

Lee was a third-round MLB Draft pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2016. He ended up landing with the Mets in a three-team trade.